Ammunition Shortages Affecting “Oddball” Calibers as Gun Owners’ Hoarding Spree Continues

I went out to Luthi’s Sport and Pawn in Greenville today to do my own ammo hoarding, looking for cartridges for my Charter Arms Patriot chambered in .327 Federal Magnum. I bought the gun because it’s a versatile “kit gun” which will fire several commonly available calibers beside the new .327 including .32 H&R Magnum and .32 S&W Long. That last round, anemic by today’s standards, has enjoyed quite a comeback thanks to the sport of Cowboy Action Shooting which spurred an interest in working antique revolvers, many of which were chambered in various permutations of .32. Modern ammo shouldn’t be fired from an antique though, so don’t blame me if you try this and hurt yourself.

But although these calibers are available they aren’t, or I should say weren’t, particularly popular. When it looked like Obama was going to win I saw the writing on the wall and wanted to stock up. I chose what are called “oddball” calibers knowing the rush on 9mm, .223 Remington and anything 12Ga would drive prices through the roof and make getting these rounds a competition of who can get to the gun store the fastest and charge the most. Unfortunately I underestimated demand for the unique calibers because Luthi’s is completly out of .327 Federal Magnum and .32 H&R Mag even though two or three weeks ago they had plenty that wasn’t moving.

I guess some big mouthed blogger tipped someone off as my wife said to me as we left. I ended up buying a hundred rounds of .32 S&W Lead Round Nose, which will go well with the couple of hundred rounds of .32 wadcutters I have. But I’m still looking for more .327 and .32 mag for my hoard which is a little thin in the stopping power department. How thin? Less than I want of .327, but hopefully more than I’ll ever need. But I only have one measly box or .32 H&R mag which is a nice intermediate between the .327 and .32 for situations where you need more firepower than the .32 but aren’t quite ready for a mankiller (raccoons and foxes, which we’re lousy with here come to mind) so any readers who want to help a brother out and let me know where I can get some will have my gratitude.

The guy at the counter said basically they weren’t sure when they’d get more in, and that their last shipment of 9mm has increased in price by $8. Their ammo counter was looking sparse and they were doing brisk gun and ammo business at 2:30 in the afternoon, so if you need a piece don’t wait.

I noticed that Cheaper than Dirt, where I’ve also had great success with the “oddball” calibers I like are basically out of the stuff considered unpopular a year ago. This includes most of the 20 GA Buckshot and slugs and .410 buckshot rounds (I told you I like the odd stuff) and if their website is any indicator they have been unable to restock .45 LC for the last couple of months. All the popular calibers (9mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP) are down to the bottom of the barrel discount Russian stuff or $3 a round specialty stuff few people can afford. Luckily my shotgun shell stash is deep enough that I’m not worried about getting more pistol ammo, but if you’re relying on a handgun as your primary firearm it’s time to worry.

Cabela’s is basically the same, and were already running light on revolver loads thanks to CAS shooters. There are still some deals there but you need to move quickly to get them. Most calibers I’m interested in are on back order.

The counter person at Luthi’s said to just keep checking back in and in these times it pays to have the number of the gun shop so you can check in and have them hold a box for you as soon as they know they’re getting a shipment. But the ammo shortage is is spreading out to rounds that are usually collecting dust on the shelves so if you don’t have what you need there’s no time to waste.

Cross posted at the world’s most neglected survival blog.

Happy Holidays from Red Alerts

I was in the kitchen eating some challah and hamantaschen my wife and I picked up at Whole Foods, which I used to be ashamed of shopping at but now that hippies are attacking them I feel that it’s O.K. to support them since that makes hippies cry.

But that reminded me to say Happy Pesach to my Jewish readers, Happy Easter to my Christian readers and Happy (belated) Ostera.

Here’s a video we can all enjoy:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPb0po2jzfg[/youtube]

Rush Limbaugh Doesn’t Speak for Me and Neither Do “Conservatives”

Patterico wrote a piece covering the Rush Limbaugh and now David Frum kerfuffle on Hot Air entitled David Frum Does Not Speak for Me Any More Than Rush Limbaugh Does which puts forward some very sensible points about allowing pundits of any stripe to be the end all of right leaning thought. Since this issue of who speaks for who in the GOP is burning across the right-o-sphere let me put forward my own two cents.

Neither David Frum or Rush Limbaugh “speak for me” or the Republican Party as a whole. We elected a leader to do that. Conservatives are one constituency of the party, but they are not the only constituency and they shouldn’t be. There is already a Conservative Party, and if Limbaugh’s fans are unhappy being in a party that also has large numbers of social moderates, Libertarians and people who don’t care if gays get married then they have a place to hang their hat.

Conservatives, especially Social-Cons, are frankly to the left of me and party faithful on more important issues than ones concerning public morality. On most issues Rush Limbaugh, David Frum and a large portion of the Hot Air comments section are left of me. I have never promoted the idea that they should be thrown out of the party because of it.

I believe in Republican principles that protect the minority from the tyranny of the majority, thus I support Gay marriage. I believe in a small government with a muscular foreign policy backed by a strong military. I believe in capitalism and economic freedom, which requires personal responsibility and fosters personal liberty.

I am a Classical Liberal who believes in the worth of the individual and his or her freedom, but I also don’t believe you have the right to destroy public order. So while I am disgusted that my local GOP has an anti-pornography stance written into its platform cribbed from Radical Feminism, I do support obscenity charges for ultra violent porn or simulated rape/pedophilia porn. I am to the right of most conservatives on this issue.

Where others on the right want to erect a fence to keep Mexican chaos from spilling over here, I believe we should militarily intervene in Mexico if our allies in the government can’t defeat the cartels. I believe we should be actively working to destabilize Communist and Islamist regimes as we did in the Reagan era. I believe we have a moral imperative to support Israel, Georgia, Ukraine and all the other freedom loving countries that are essential to peace in the future. I am to the right of most conservatives on this issue.

I believe in Pax Americana, and that we should export our ideals and values to the four corners of the world. I believe America is morally superior to every other country on the face of the earth. I shouldn’t be on the right of most conservatives on this, but I am.

So tell me how Rush Limbaugh, David Frum or any other talking head speaks for me? They don’t. Limbaugh is a great entertainer and helps rally the conservative base, but he doesn’t rally Republicans. Frum has been acting distastefully to say the least, but come 2010 I assume he’ll vote Democrat and leave anyway. Neither is as strong on national defense as I am but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room in the Party for us all, although Frum seems to want to stand outside the tent at this point.

I speak for myself from inside the tent of the Republican party and that’s how it should be.

I’m all for party discipline and being united, but the Rush Limbaugh cult of personality is not helping the Republican Party or the Conservative movement.

Ace has a post which points out how nonsensical, and destructive this fight is. Predictably Rush’s creepy personality cult is reacting badly.

Angry Black Man Let’s Loose on Rush Limbaugh Show

Via Conservative Black Woman this clip of “AJ from Houston” calls into the Rush Limbaugh show and begins a tirade many people in the Black community have heard from their elders before, but many more need to. CBW says this guy reminds her of her Grandfather, my Grandfather was a quiet man who said much the same thing, but his brothers topped AJ when they got going.

I like this clip because I happen to love angry old people telling people what’s wrong with them. And from Rush’s reaction so does he. Enjoy:

[youtube]lMHWuPIK9cI[/youtube]